NFL draft: Beyond Zach Wilson and Penei Sewell, what other Utah ties should expect to be drafted?

Trying to predict how an NFL draft will play out is a crapshoot.

Every year, thousands of mock drafts are compiled by national experts of varying expertise. The most daring experts will even attempt to predict every selection in an entire draft.

While these mock drafts ultimately will prove to have a low success rate at correctly projecting how the real draft plays out, they do serve a critical purpose of showcasing the majority of players that are likely considered draftable.

By looking at seven recent mock drafts that include all seven rounds, one thing is clear about Utah ties in the 2021 NFL draft: there are several players from Utah — as many as six or seven, perhaps more — that could be selected in this year’s draft, which runs April 29-May 1.

While guys like quarterback Zach Wilson (Corner Canyon High and BYU) and offensive tackle Penei Sewell (Desert Hills High and Oregon) headline this year’s Utah prospects and are expected to be taken early in the first round, others like defensive tackle Jay Tufele (Bingham High and USC) and offensive tackle Brady Christensen (Bountiful High and BYU) are also expected to be mid-round selections.

Throw in other prospects like wide receivers Simi Fehoko (Brighton High and Stanford) and Dax Milne (Bingham High and BYU), along with defensive tackle Khyiris Tonga (Granger High and BYU), as well as tight end Matt Bushman (BYU), and it could be a solid draft for the state, particularly for Utah prep-developed talent.

Here’s where seven seven-round mock drafts from national experts had Utah ties being selected.

Editor’s note: This story will be updated to include any other seven-round mock drafts prior to this year’s draft.

Pro Football Focus

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• PFF’s Steve Palazzolo on Wilson: “Wilson’s breakout 2020 season sealed his spot as the No. 2 QB in the draft, as he posted the best single-season passing grade in PFF history. Wilson combines good accuracy and decision-making with the coveted natural playmaking ability that has led to recent quarterback breakouts around the league.”
• PFF’s Ben Linsey on Sewell: “This becomes an easy decision for Carolina, with the top four quarterbacks off the board and the top tackle in the draft sliding to No. 8 overall. Sewell fills a clear area of need and gives the Panthers a better alternative to the current options of Greg Little and Cam Erving. He earned a 95.8 overall grade as the most dominant tackle in college football the last time he took the field in 2019. And Sewell should only continue to improve in the NFL, given that he doesn’t turn 21 until October.”

A busy third round for Utah ties?

• Of note: This mock draft ties for the highest number of BYU players selected — seven (more on that in a minute).
• The biggest takeaway from the Pro Football Focus mock is the three Utah ties taken in the third round. While Christensen to Cincinnati at 69th overall isn’t a shock having Fehoko and Milne go late in the third round — during the compensatory selections — is surprising. That’s the highest any mock draft has Milne being selected, while Fehoko is picked as a late third-rounder in two mocks.

Chad Reuter, NFL.com

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• Reuter on Wilson: “Wilson’s athleticism, precision throwing from the pocket and on the run, and confident attitude will make him a “much-watch” NFL player in no time.”
• Reuter on Sewell: “The Bengals should not overthink this pick. Joe Burrow got hurt in the pocket last year. The offensive line has been a sore spot for years. Just pick Sewell, and let the 2020 No. 1 pick safely distribute the ball to his receivers.”

A record-setting draft for BYU?

• Of note: Just like the Pro Football Focus mock, Reuter’s mock draft has the highest number of BYU players selected — seven. While BYU is expected to have multiple players drafted this year for the first time since 2009, having seven drafted seems unlikely yet would be history making for the Cougar program.
• Since the NFL went to its current seven-round draft format in 1994, the most Cougars taken in a single draft is five (in 1995 and 2002). Prior to that, when there were several more rounds in the NFL draft, BYU twice had seven players drafted in a single season, in 1981 and 1986. In 1981, two of those players were picked after the seventh round, while five were drafted after the seventh round in 1986.
• One BYU player taken in Reuter’s mock draft, cornerback Chris Wilcox, does not appear in any other mock drafts, while offensive tackle Chandon Herring shows up in both Reuter’s and Pro Football Focus’ mocks.

Dane Brugler, The Athletic

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• Brugler on Wilson: “Since my first mock draft back in November, Wilson has been the projected pick at No. 2 and nothing has happened to change that belief. The first two picks are locked in.”

• Brugler on Sewell: “If the first six picks play out like this, the Lions’ selection likely comes down to Fields, the top offensive lineman on their board, or the Alabama receiver they prefer. As Detroit begins a rebuild, the chance to start in the trenches with a 20-year old stud tackle makes sense.”
• Brugler on Milne: “Assuming Wilson is the pick at No. 2 overall, we can also pencil in Milne (his favorite target) to the Jets at some point in the later rounds, right?”

Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports

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• Wilson on Wilson: “It’s somewhat interesting that we’ve all just penciled Wilson in at No. 2, but this appears to be the direction the Jets are going.”
• Wilson on Sewell: “Best-case scenario for the Panthers and Sam Darnold.”

Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News

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• Iyer on Wilson: “The Jets have made this the second no-brainer in the draft, going for his attractive arm and athleticism combination in replacing traded Sam Darnold.”

• Iyer on Sewell: “Getting Joe Burrow another big-time playmaker at wide receiver or tight end will be tempting but upgrading the pass protection is vital. Sewell still is the best all-around tackle in this class with his smooth agility for pass protection and rock-like stature for the running game.”
• Iyer on Tufele: “The Saints had to cut Malcom Brown in free agency so they make a second straight addition to (defensive coordinator Dennis) Allen’s front four.”

Josh Edwards, CBS Sports

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Edwards on Wilson: “In the wake of the Sam Darnold and 49ers trades, I think an indirect statement was made by the Jets: they are taking Wilson.”

Edwards on Sewell: “As predicted, the Russell Okung experiment was short-lived. With (Sam) Darnold in tow, Carolina can take the best player available on offense to ensure that he has weapons he did not have in New York. Jaylen Waddle, (Ja’Marr) Chase and (Kyle) Pitts are off the board so the decision was easy.”

Walter Cherepinsky, Walter Football

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• Cherepinsky on Wilson: “Zach Wilson is a smart quarterback with good arm talent. However, there are some reported off-the-field and injury issues. Go here to read about Teams Having Concerns with Zach Wilson. I’ve moved Wilson up to No. 2, but the Jets could still go with Justin Fields.”

• Cherepinsky on Sewell: “How lucky are the Bengals? They won some meaningless games at the end of the year to seemingly move themselves out of the Penei Sewell sweepstakes. However, there’s now a decent chance he’ll be available at No. 5, which is a dream come true for a team that needs to protect Joe Burrow. The Bengals signed Riley Reiff, but that won’t preclude them from selecting Sewell. Besides, Reiff played guard in Iowa and even told the Vikings he’d be willing to move to that position if needed.”
• Cherepinsky on Tufele: “The Texans finally get to pick! They had a woeful run defense in 2020, so perhaps they’ll use this pick to fix this problem. Jay Tufele is an extremely athletic and agile 310-pound defensive tackle who could be chosen in the top half of the draft, whenever he declares.”
• Cherepinsky on Milne: “The Vikings don’t have much at receiver beyond their two studs.”
• Cherepinsky on Christensen: “The Steelers lost some offensive linemen this offseason, so they’ll probably have to address that area earlier than this.”
• Cherepinsky on Bushman: “Adam Trautman is no sure thing, so the Saints may want to obtain another tight end.”

Notes

• Wilson, no surprise, is seen as the No. 2 pick overall to the Jets, which seems to be the consensus across all mock drafts at this point. How that prediction holds up will be proven come Day 1 of the draft.
• Brugler’s mock draft is interesting in that Wilson is joined in New York by two other BYU offensive products in Christensen and Milne. Having the trio together in the NFL would be unique. In Reuter’s mock draft, he has Wilson teaming up with Bushman.

• Trying to figure out where Sewell is headed is one of the bigger questions right now in the draft’s top 10 picks. Three of the seven-round mocks (Reuter, Iyer and Cherepinsky) have him going to Cincinnati at No. 5, which appears to be the highest he may go if teams make a big run on quarterbacks to start the draft. Three others also have Sewell pegged for the Panthers. Both Cincinnati and Carolina could be good situations for Sewell, considering their current offensive line personnel.
• Tufele is expected to be the third Utah tie coming off the board by most national experts, and one — Sporting News’ Iyer — has him being taken in the second round by New Orleans, while others have him going in the third round or as low as the fifth round.
• There is a wide range of predictions where Christensen will land in the draft — anywhere from the third round to the sixth — though all expect he will be selected. One interesting prediction is Wilson has the Denver Broncos taking him in the fourth round, which would match Christensen up with former Utah Ute Garett Bolles in Denver. Bolles, a first-round pick in 2017, was a second-team All-Pro in 2020.

• Both Fehoko and Milne show up on six of the seven mock drafts and are considered late-round possibilities, though they show up earlier in a couple mocks, like the Pro Football Focus mock draft where the duo go back-to-back late in the third round.
• Tonga, like Fehoko and Milne, is taken in six of the seven seven-round mock drafts, and there is a consensus he’s a late-round pick. Two of the mocks (Wilson and Iyer) see the former BYU and Granger standout going to the New England Patriots.

• Five of the mock drafts have Bushman getting drafted, and one of the most intriguing — at least from a BYU perspective — could be New Orleans (Cherepinsky sends him there), where Bushman would be teammates with former Cougar quarterback Taysom Hill.
• BYU guard Tristen Hoge also shows up as a seventh-rounder in a pair of mock drafts.